…or blogging in general.
Hello my bookish friends. Happy Monday. So the idea for this post came from Sofii from A Book a Thought. I tweeted about her blog, how autumnal, bookish and inspirational her posts are. I would love to grow my blog like hers and she said ‘The most important thing is to enjoy blogging, right?’
It was a bit of an eye-opener that, I feel I’ve lost some of the love I used to have for it at the beginning of my blogging. I’ve had my struggles sometimes, with some occasional negative thoughts about blogging that has made me post less than I would like. So today I thought I would explore the pressures I’ve faced with my blog. After all I have been blogging for over 7 years.
Blogger vs WordPress
This has been a massive change for me this year. Migrating over and I’m loving the freedom that I can have with my blog, especially the design aspect as it feels like mine so much more. But with the migration comes the worry. When I was on Blogger I posted my reviews and I tweeted about them and that’s that. I didn’t have the ‘Likes’ or stats side of things, or the app for that matter. I wrote my review and hit post. Simple. WordPress sees how well you are doing, followers, views, insights which is great but I think it can have a negative impact on your content.
Blogging buzz words like ‘Engagement, SEO, Likes, Pageviews’
I think these words have really been the bane of my blogging lately. It sounds bad, I am to blame because I want to make sure my blog is successful. We spend more time for Google to find us and the focus words that we forget about why we are book bloggers. But then what about my passion for my blog and books just like Sofii said. Where has that gone? How has my passion for something gone to numbers on a webpage. Plus if you put passion in your blog, then everyone else will see that and want to read it.
Scheduling posts at certain times
This stems of the ‘Engagement’ side of things. I’m under the illusion that the more you post, the more visitors you get. Blogging takes time, and it should be a pleasure to do so, but you don’t want to stress about cramming it in either. You want to think, ‘I read this amazing book I need to do a review.’ Oh and another example is when you go holiday, I feel I have to blog. But I just want to go on holiday and not have to worry about it either. Or I feel inspired whilst away and whip up a quick post.
Work | Life | Blogging balance
This is very important. Work can be crazy and you just don’t fancy it. You don’t want to go home and think ‘Oh I have to write this for…’ Blogging is part of your life, it’s your hobby where by definition you enjoy for pleasure. Where inspiration suddenly hits and you want to write something and to tell people about it. Fit it in but don’t force it in.
Blogging, Social Media and our Mental health
Social Media is amazing for the book blogging community but once again we face the pressures of followers, likes, posting every day asking ‘why didn’t that work well?’ it instills a little bit sadness sometimes. But accounts like @TheWritesReads celebrate us as book bloggers by showcasing some of our best posts. They are amazing and you feel so good. (Which I felt last week by being #reviewoftheday.)
On World Mental Health Awareness Day, I chose to turn off my notifications to all of my social media. I didn’t go on my iPad and only talked to the people I love and enjoyed reading. The time away gave me ideas for my blog and I started to write them in a notebook, I felt happy and excited about my blog, that I hadn’t in a while. There is positives and negatives but once again like Work and Life, we need to find that balance.
So I got a lot off my chest there. I sort of feel relieved so from here. I’m going to take Sofii’s advice and the advice I’ve put here just like reading what I fancy and actually enjoy blogging again for how it used to be. Don’t worry there will be the same posts and maybe some different ones but I’m going to try and not feel pressured by it.
Do you ever feel pressured by book blogging? Do you have any tips? Share your story maybe? Let me know in the comments.
I totally relate to a lot of these points! I’ve actually calmed down a bit about my blog views and SEO recently. Mostly because real-life being hectic, but I am sure I am enjoying writing my blog posts since being a bit more relaxed about that stuff!
This is what I want to be like. I guess you so so many people getting great stats etc. But where is the enjoyment if we are just doing it for that. So I want to relax and just enjoy reading my books and reviews.
This is what I want to do! And I think if we put passion back into our blog, our stats would go up! I feel our blogs are more of a robot of us. Rather than being relaxed about it!
Precisely! They’re supposed to be a hobby… You know, fun!
I’m still not a year into my blogging, I’m with WordPress so the stats thing has always been a part of my blogging experience. I think a recent update was really unhealthy for mindset where instead of just stating how many you got that day it started doing less than/more than previous day which is ridiculous and I wish I could turn it off.
On days when you don’t post anything or just days where your post just doesn’t grab anyone you may get a handful of views and look like a failure compared to the day before.
I don’t think that traditional blogging expectations are built with book bloggers in mind- we are a ‘niche’ and don’t get the same audiences that even the worst mummy or makeup blog does at its most simple due to social attitudes to reading but more complex as well…. and children’s book blogs (is including Mg and below) are even more niche.
There is a ‘level up’ element of blogging and WordPress especially and it can feel like you’re chasing your tail for something that’s not going to happen in the same ways other blogs have.
I never expected anyone to read my blog except possibly my mum!! I don’t have thousands of followers, pittance compared to many established books bloggers BUT it is a lift in heart when I get regular engagement, I know I don’t stand out in the world of blogging and don’t ever expect to, I think the attitude is when it’s fun it’s fun but when it becomes a chore or stress it’s time to pause. And oh my god I’ve just filled your commentsup!! Apologies!!!
Haha that’s okay! I think I put too much pressure on myself! But I think social media doesn’t help when you so many talking about engagement and stats. I’m not a fan of the WP stat thing! When I was on Blogger it never really happened to me so I didn’t take notice of it!
I’m basically want to love it again which I do now! But felt I had to get that off my chest about some pressures of book blogging I’ve come across.
I think they are all completely valid points 💜
Thank you! I’m not leaving blogging though! I’m staying but going to do what I love with my blog!
I’m so pleased 💜
Have to say that I also agree with most of what you’ve written here, and I think a lot of book bloggers who have been in this game for a while are also feeling very much the same way. It feels like the industry would rather see a tasteful instagram pic of their latest title draped effortlessly across a table, perhaps next to a cheeky croissant or a cup of espresso arranged just so, than read a human being’s opinion of the book in question.
It’s been changing for a while. I always ‘joked’ we’d quit once we’d either got 1 million hits on the blog (which we did last year) or we got to our 10th birthday (which is next August) but it’s getting harder and harder to carry on simply because things change, my daughter is growing up (fast) and has little or no patience for picture books any more, can’t stand the majority of so-so middle grade titles we get sent, and our audience has shrunk to below 10K consistently for the last few months. So there’s no real point in continuing to blare about brilliant books into a void, nor is there any real need to feel pressured into reviewing titles in a timely fashion when – half the time – we get books that were released MONTHS ago so late that we can’t even fit them into our schedule.
It is supposed to be fun though, right? When it stops being fun, when it becomes a chore or worse, a right royal pain in the arse. When you realise you’re doing it just because you’ve (always) done it (and god knows, no blogger out there does it for the ‘free’ books, surely?), it feels like it’s time to call it a day.
Thank you for your comment! I’m glad I’m not the only one! I always read teen and YA as I’m a school librarian! I feel it’s almost too professionalised. Blogging has to be sleak and not fun. Instagram I agree with and I hate the staged look! My Instagram reflects my blog and me which I like! I just at the point where I want to change and not get too sucked into the pressures too much!
This is so relatable! It’s so easy to fall into the pressure of having to be constantly engaged in social media, posting several times a week, and get stuck on your stat results. But sometimes you just don’t have enough time or will to invest in all the things you want to do on your blog, and that’s okay.
Personally, I’m quite busy now, so I’m limiting myself to three posts a day. I have 90% of my notifications on social media off for months now, I hate the urge of jumping on Twitter or Instagram just because my phone dings. I still keep up with my stats a lot, and I’m trying to find new ways to engage more in the community that doesn’t take much time. I am an SEO/social media girl, since I studied Communications, so that part is always something that interests me. I actually created my blog because I wanted to learn more about digital marketing. But since I haven’t gone self-hosted yet, there isn’t much I can do 😔
SEO baffles me! I never know if I’m doing it right and the engagement of my blog doesn’t increase because of it! I used to post 3 times a week which is good! I like that but sometimes life happens and I can’t do that! So if I post two days on the trot never mind! Least I’m blogging when I fancy! Social media I like I’m not too involved but I can sucked in which makes me feel pretty sad about my blog sometimes!
This is why I want to love it again and not worry! Maybe I put too much pressure on myself.
Great post, Emma. I certainly still have problems with balancing my blog with work, and I do put some pressure on myself to do it successfully.
Me too! I’m glad I’m not the only one! I think it is successful if we are passionate about books!
Everything you say here is so relatable, I think we have all been in the same place that you’re now, and I think being honest about it will make you realize that you’re not alone, and it’s only the first step for you to start to fall in love again with blogging again and also reading what you want, which is SUPER important. Sometimes I think that people read what’s popular, you know? and you’re losing your identity as a reader because you will no longer know what you really like to read anymore, I think the best thing is to read what you love and talk about it, because if you’re passionate about something, people will surely feel that passion and they want to read about you, no matter what topic you talk about, I mean, in general. 😊
I respect you as a blogger and as a person for putting your feelings here, it’s not an easy situation because there are many thoughts going on in your mind, and I understand, but I’m sure that from now on everything will be great for you and for your wonderful blog. Again, I want to tell you that I feel super happy to have inspired you in some way, it’s a blessing, I’ll always be here when you need me and I can’t wait to read all those wonderful posts that are coming, just be yourself and it will be INCREDIBLE ❤️ ❤️
Great post. This is a great discussion about the big blogging problems. I relate to each and everything especially life balancing. I am still a new blogger so I mess up bad. Btw thank you so much for following my blog. Hope to see more of your posts. Good luck and tc 🙂✌
[…] The Pressures of Book Blogging | A post that I wrote from heart that brutally honest and passionate. […]